Cracking the Code
New Telehealth Therapy Reimbursements
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Telehealth services allow a physician or other approved licensed care provider with the ability to provide services and effectively communicate with their patients via secure telecommunication devices. As of April 30, 2020, CMS has expanded the list of approved telehealth services to include physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), and speech therapy (ST). Please be sure to check with individual third-party payers about their policies in order to receive full reimbursement.
Q: A 50-year-old Medicare patient consents to a remote evaluation service with their Physical Therapist. The patient has questions about whether they are performing the recommended exercises correctly. The patient records themselves and sends it off to the Physical Therapist for review via email. After reviewing the video, the Physical Therapist calls the patient on the telephone to provide further instruction on how to properly perform the exercise.
A: G2010 (remote evaluation of recorded video and/or images submitted by an established patient, not originating from a related e/m service provided within the previous 7 days nor leading to an e/m service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment). GP modifier is added to indicate this is a physical therapy service.
Reference: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-telemedicine-health-care-provider-fact-sheet